Having been a Lord for over three years, Gale had only visited once, which was indeed not very responsible of him.
Maiev smiled, "Alright! You really should go see it. I have to say, Antalia is a competent administrator."
Sethonis said, "You two go! I'm going back to Gale's Tower. I can't wait to start researching enchanting and engineering."
The two smiled as they bid him farewell, then walked out of the forest hand in hand.
"According to my estimation, I'll have about a month this time," Gale told Maiev about his situation. "After a month, I might need to return to the Emerald Dream."
Worry showed in Maiev's eyes. "Is the Reaver's Scythe not working?"
"It has some effect, but I need to find a way to use it. As you know, the divine power on it doesn't belong to me."
Maiev sighed softly, "I'll keep waiting for you."
Gale smiled and nodded, then began talking about his time in Dalaran, which was their happiest time together. If not for a certain Dragon always causing trouble, it might have been even happier.
Emerging from the forest, the two got onto the main road. As they reached the river, they saw a caravan approaching from the east.
Gale looked at the caravan in surprise, feeling very unexpected.
Maiev explained to him, "They are Tauren, living in Highmountain to the northeast. Don't let their somewhat strange appearance fool you; they are gentle and very easy to get along with. Even before you became the Lord of Andu Talla, they had contact with the Kaldorei of Andu Talla. After Antalia developed Andu Talla, they formed caravans and officially began trading with us."
Gale, of course, knew they were Highmountain Tauren; he just hadn't expected these Tauren and Elves to interact so early.
He wondered if Huln Highmountain had been born yet. This great warrior, who wielded the Eagle Spear, was a powerful ally. He could take down Crypt Fiends with a single spear thrust, leaving the Burning Legion helpless.
The Tauren caravan was already close. They rode large, majestic moose, looking powerful and imposing. The moose's antlers were even wider than the road. If they charged, even large demons could be sent flying. No wonder their combat strength was so formidable.
"Good afternoon, Elf Sir, Elf Lady."
The Tauren greeted the two warmly, "Are you also going to Andu Talla? Would you like a ride?"
Gale nodded, "That would be much appreciated!"
"You're too kind!" The caravan leader had another Tauren bring over a moose. "The moose is a bit big, so you'll need to hold onto the reins tightly."
"Thanks for the warning!"
Gale and Maiev jumped onto the moose. The moose was a bit agitated. It had a strong temper and only recognized powerful Tauren. However, before it could lose its temper, Gale gently patted its head, and the moose instantly calmed down.
The Tauren who was about to soothe the moose was very surprised to see this. "You are a strong one, Sir."
Gale smiled faintly. Even Proto-Dragons had to be obedient in front of him, let alone a moose.
However, it was also time for the Kaldorei to find their own racial mounts. Although this was a magical world, cavalry still played a significant role. Frostsaber cats were beautiful and suited the Kaldorei well, but compared to those powerful beasts, they still fell short. The same applied to Hippogryphs. Both racial mounts and flying mounts needed to be re-evaluated.
The caravan set off again, and Gale began chatting with the caravan leader.
"What kind of goods do you usually buy?"
"Mostly daily necessities. Because we Tauren are so large, we tend to be clumsy. And our crafting skills aren't very good. Daily necessities from Andu Talla are very cheap and save us a lot of time."
"Do you mainly sell furs to Andu Talla?"
"Exactly. We usually get food by hunting. Furs don't sell at all where we live, but they fetch a very good price in Andu Talla, even more than what we spend on daily necessities."
"It seems you've made a lot of money in Andu Talla!"
The caravan leader chuckled heartily, "That's true, but we might not be making money in the future."
"Oh? Why?"
The caravan leader said gloomily, "A group of spiders has appeared in the northern part of Highmountain. They are constantly invading our territory. The sudden war caught us off guard. We came this time to purchase strategic supplies in Andu Talla. Both weapons and food are things we lack. So, we brought a large amount of gold coins. This time, we're going to lose a lot."
Gale and Maiev exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Maiev thought, "Spiders? How big can these spiders be? Are they bigger than Shadra's kin? If not, how could they be a match for these Tauren?"
Gale thought, "Wild spiders don't invade intelligent creatures' territory! Where did these spiders come from? Could they be Crypt Fiends?"
"We don't know if the Lord of Andu Talla will sell us these things. If we can't buy them, our tribe will be in danger," the caravan leader said worriedly.
Gale assured him, "Don't worry, you will definitely be able to buy the supplies you want. Whether it's weapons, food, or other materials, as long as Andu Talla has them, they will be sold to you."
"Are you serious?" the caravan leader asked in surprise.
Maiev said, "Of course he's serious, because he is the Lord of Andu Talla."
The caravan leader was overjoyed. "Are you really Lord of Andu Talla? That's wonderful! With weapons and food, we can definitely win this war."
Gale smiled and said, "Of course you can win the war. However, the spiders you just mentioned make me a little curious. What do they look like?"
"They are slender. If they couldn't spit webs, we would definitely think they were ants. They are about two yards long, and their melee ability isn't strong, but they can spit magic projectiles. We're not afraid of single magic projectiles, but when these magic projectiles accumulate, they can corrode our fur. And there are many of them. If our numbers are a bit low, we wouldn't dare to fight them…"
Amidst the caravan leader's rambling description, Gale was very certain that the so-called spiders were Crypt Fiends.
However, Gale was a bit confused. Why would Crypt Fiends attack Highmountain instead of building the Azjol-Nerub kingdom underground?
Or did the Titan Guardian's civil war provide an opportunity for these insects? Did they want to re-establish the Dark Empire?
It was important to remember that the area where they lived was above the Guardian Dragon's territory. Such a large-scale attack on Highmountain would surely alarm the Guardian Dragon. Did they have the confidence to deal with the Guardian Dragon?
Gale became vigilant. This matter was too strange, and he worried it might be a conspiracy by Yogg-Saron.